I do not own RWBY or any Tolkien related material, and have no claim on the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies or books. The idea for this story is mine, but nothing else. This is purely for fun.

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My dear Frodo… you once asked me if I told you everything there is to know about my adventures. And while I can honestly say that I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it. I am old now Frodo and I'm not the same Hobbit as I once was. I think it is time for you to know what really happened, to have the full tale.

It began long ago in two lands; the first was far away to the east, the majesty of which remained unmatched for many years. There was the city of Dale, its markets known far and wide, full of the bounties of vine and vale: peaceful and prosperous. And this city lay before the doors of the greatest Dwarven kingdom in Middle-Earth: Erebor. Stronghold of Thror, King Under the Mountain: mightiest of the Dwarf Lords.

Thror ruled with utter surety, never doubting his house would endure for his line lay secure in the lives of his son and grandson.

Ah, Frodo, Erebor. Built deep within the mountain itself the beauty of this fortress city was legend. Its wealth lay within the earth in precious gems hewn from rock and in great seams of gold running like rivers through stone. The skill of the Dwarves was unequaled, fashioning objects of great beauty out of sliver, diamond, emerald, sapphire… and ruby.

Ever they delved deeper into the endless riches, down into the dark. And that is where they found it. The Heart of the Mountain. The Arkenstone.

Thror named it "The King's Jewel." He took it as a sign: a sign that his right to rule was divine. Far and wide all would pay homage to him; even the great Elven King, Thranduil of Mirkwood.However as the great wealth of the dwarves grew, their store of good will ran thin. It is not known what began the rift. The Elves say the Dwarves stole their treasure, but the Dwarves tell another tale. They say the Elven king refused to give them their rightful pay. It is sad, Frodo, how old alliances can be broken, how friendships between peoples can be lost. And for what? A few gems? A little bit of coin?

The years of peace and plenty were not to last as slowly the days turned sour and the watchful nights closed in.

Thror's love of gold had grown too fierce. A sickness had begun to grow within him and in the minds of the other Dwarves. It was a sickness of the mind. And where sickness thrives, bad things will flock like carrion birds to a corpse. And flock they did.

The first warning was a noise like a hurricane coming down from the North. The pines on the mountain creaked and cracked in the hot, dry wind and were swiftly torn from the soil. Then a shadow fell upon the ground, moving faster than any bird or arrow. Smaug had come. He was a firedrake from the North, and he descended on the city of Dale in a ravaging inferno. Such wanton death was dealt that day, for this city of Men was nothing to Smaug. His eye was set on another, far greater prize. For dragons covet gold with a dark and fierce desire. None were a match for the beast.

Erebor was lost to the Dwarves, for a dragon will guard his plunder as long as he lives. Thranduil would not risk the lives of his kin against the wrath of the dragon. No help came from the Elves that day nor any day since.

Robbed of their homeland the Dwarves of Erebor wandered the wilderness… a once mighty and strong people brought low. A young Dwarf prince took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of Men. But always he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, for he had seen dragon fire in the sky and a city turned to ash. And he never forgave, and he never forgot.

Now, before my tale eventually begins, is one of a land further beyond even where the Valar reside. A land far more scarred and broken than our Middle-Earth: a land so broken, they named it Remnant, for only survivors lived there. A land with four great Kingdoms that our eyes will never see: Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral, and Vale.

The things that they have done would confound even the most experienced armor and weapon smiths of any race here. Great metal birds that fly through the sky, weapons that shoot further and faster than any bow here, and buildings that touch the sky like mountains. What I would give to see such things she had described.

Nevertheless, for all their achievements they did not live in paradise, as they had their own enemies. More bloodthirsty than any Orc or Goblin or Troll, they were known only as the Creatures of Grimm. The Grimm were not one species, but many different creatures that shared one common goal, one hunger: to kill the entire race of Man.

And in Remnant, a long time ago, they almost succeeded. But Man found their greatest source of power and magic in the elements. Dust is what they called it, and by harnessing this power, this magic, they drove back the creatures of darkness and forged their kingdoms to stand as beacons of light for all.

But the Grimm still lurked at the edges of their society, preying on any that strayed too far from their cities, waiting, and watching for a chance to sake their hunger. Villages would disappear in a night, and any chance to kill was taken. With this threat in mind, a brave few would dedicate their lives to protect Mankind from extinction, to combat the Grimm wherever they may strike, and act as the front lines against the forces of darkness. These were the Hunters and Huntresses of Remnant. The greatest warriors ever trained.

Wielding powers of the soul, which they call Aura and Semblance, they could do incredible feats that would be impossible for us. They could take a strike from a war ax and only stumble. A cut would heal in seconds. But for all their strengths, they could still perish in battle. They know the risks, but still do their duty for the people.

And now my dear Frodo, is where I come in. For quite by chance, and the will of a Wizard, fate decided I would become part of this tale. And for one other, fate took the form of a fortunate accident where she ended up here of all places, at the right time.

This is how Fifteen set out to return to their homelands, slay a dragon, and go on a completely unexpected journey for one poor unprepared Hobbit…

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"Oh no, not again you idiotic Dolt!" Those words echoed in Ruby's brain as the last thing she heard before feeling like she was being sucked down an extremely tight drain and blacked out. Upon reflection, Ruby would admit what had led up to that moment was probably was one of the dumbest things she had done. Well, she would once she woke up. And if it were completely her fault. Which it totally wasn't… much.

Some indefinable time later, she groaned as consciousness came to her. Well that was stupid. Why do I have to be the one sensitive to that stuff? She heard the chirping of birds overhead, which was a vast difference from the background humming of the electronics in Beacon. Ruby opened her eyes and immediately raised her hand and squinted from the sunlight going through the trees into her pupils. She could feel grass and dirt under her where she lay, and the smell of fresh air wafted through her nose. How… did I get outside? I was inside. Really inside. The Dust storage and refilling wing is underground to begin with. Did I make that big of an explosion?

Her eyes fully adjusting, she could see trees around and above her. The sun was in the middle of noon and sunset by the shadows. She slowly sat up and looked around. Trees and grassy hills everywhere. I guess I can rule out 'giant explosion' then; this would have been a giant crater, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't thrown by that explosion… and I'm not going to go all Nora and think of some crazy conspiracy theory or what not. She felt a strap next to her and looked, giving a small cheer as she saw her school bag. She had brought down into the Dust shop, carrying her magazines to reload. And speaking of reloading…

"Oh thank Oum I still have my Sweetheart," Ruby gasped in relief, feeling the familiar form and weight of Crescent Rose on her back hip holster. She stood up and brushed off her leggings and skirt, then looked around again. The trees were unfamiliar to her, but she wasn't a botanist-that's the correct word right?- so that wasn't saying much. But what drove home the severity of her situation was when she looked up and could see the moon. It was in a sliver crescent, just visible in the daylight. That in itself was fine, if a little unusual. The fact that the moon was whole and unbroken wasn't. "Oooookay? Definitely not at Beacon anymore," Ruby said to herself. Maybe even not on Remnant then. Just what did that Dust explosion do? Where am I?

"I would say that you are not," an aged man's voice answered her from behind. Ruby spun around and froze in surprise, since she hadn't heard or seen anyone approach. She was even more surprised by the man's appearance.

He looked old, as his face had the wrinkles and age marks to prove it. A long, grey scraggly beard came down from his chin with bushy eyebrows in addition to that. He had a pointy grey hat and grey-layered robes, and he was holding a wooden staff that had an intricate carving at the top. He was looking at her with some amusement and curiosity. All in all, Ruby had to admit that he definitely had the quintessential storybook wizard look down to a tee.

The man continued speaking to her, "In fact, to my knowledge there isn't a place called Beacon, unless you are referring to the ones that span Ered Nimrais, in which case you are most certainly far from home."

"Uhh, no?" Ruby shrugged, confused as well. "I guess you have the far from home part down though."

"I thought as such," the man admitted. Ruby regarded him, getting the same mysterious cryptic vibe Professor Ozpin gave during her conversations with him. Especially when the man seemed to be staring directly at her eyes. Not into them, but at them.

"Uhh, hello?" Ruby greeted somewhat properly.

"Greetings," the man replied, breaking the stare, now just curious about her.

"Um, not to sound rude or anything but… who… are you?" Ruby asked, hesitantly, not wanting to annoy him.

"I am known by many names, but you may call me Gandalf the Grey," the man replied, this time definitely sounding amused.

"Oh… are you a wizard?" She asked tentatively.

"I am, one of five to be precise," Gandalf replied.

"Okay… Oh! I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose," Ruby introduced herself, giving a small smile. No need to be impolite. "And uhh, I don't really have a fancy title. I guess you could say 'huntress-in-training' but that's a little bit of a mouthful."

"Indeed," Gandalf replied, and after a momentary pause continued. "I must admit I find myself curious as to why a young girl is wandering in the woods of Hobbiton by herself, even if these lands are relatively safe from danger."

"Heh, funny story actually," Ruby smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. For some reason, just like Ozpin, I feel like I can trust him… even though I just met him.

"Oh? I do enjoy a good story," Gandalf said, intrigued. "Perhaps we should find a more suitable place to continue."

"Sure," Ruby agreed. She followed him a short distance away until they found a fallen moss covered tree that they sat on.

"Now then, I believe you were about to tell me how you found yourself here?" Gandalf prompted.

"Right! Well, I was at school, in the Dust shop refilling my ammo because we just got back from the breach, well it was actually the next day, but anyway, there I was, just finished when I saw Weiss, who's my partner, down there. I was curious what she was doing so I went over to her and- uhh, I startled her. Which was probably one of the dumber things I've done."

"Whatcha' doin' Weiss?"

"Gahh! Ruby!"

Gandalf looked pleasantly bemused as she was talking. "While I know many outcomes of surprise, I fail to see how that got you here."

"Ahh, well, you see, Weiss was holding a vial of Dust when I snuck up on her, and it went everywhere… and then…" Ruby mumbled the last bit.

"What was that dear?" Gandalf asked.

"I-uhh… sneezed." Ruby said, her face as red as her cloak.

Weiss spun around with several vials of Dust in her hand, unluckily all open. A rainbow of Dust flew up in the air and mixed together.

And then Ruby sniffed.

"Ah-ah-ah…!"

"Oh no, not again…!"

Gandalf blinked in surprise, then a small smile started growing. "Indeed?" Okay, yeah, he's definitely laughing on the inside.

"It's not my fault I'm sensitive to raw powder Dust!" Ruby protested. "Anyway, when I… sneezed, it set off some sort of chain reaction with the rest of the Dust… then there was this portal, rift, thingy and I blacked out, then I woke up in that clearing. And then you found me." Ruby finished her abridged tale.

Gandalf leaned back in consideration, then reached into his cloak and pulled out a wooden pipe and lit it. Strange, he didn't use a lighter or a match. Guess he is a wizard. After he took a couple of puffs and made a smoke ring he said, "That might have to be one of the most interesting tales told so casually I've ever heard."

Ruby shrugged, unabashed. Gandalf continued. "Now I have two questions for you, before I go on. First; is this Dust you speak of some form of magic and two; is there anything different about the land you are in?"

Ruby thought about her answer. "Well, I'm not an expert on Dust, that'll be Weiss, but I guess in a way it is magic. It comes from the land… And… about the land… you might think I'm crazy, but the moon's whole. I know that the moon is shattered… so… yeah." Ruby trailed off.

Gandalf hummed for a bit, looking at her. Ruby had the feeling that she was being x-rayed (not the character from Jaune's comics) by him. He then nodded, coming to a decision. "What drew me to you was the sudden wave of magic that I felt from that clearing-"

"So you are a wizard!" Ruby exclaimed, then blushed red, realizing she interrupted. "Sorry."

Gandalf had a smile on his face as he continued, "that felt different than anything that I had felt save for ancient magics. This dust you use is probably the reason. Do you know the name of this land?" He asked, changing the subject slightly.

Ruby shook her head. "I have a feeling I'd be wrong if I said Remnant?" Ruby asked on a hunch, one that she didn't know if she wanted to be true or not.

"You would be correct in that assumption," Gandalf said, avoiding the verbal confusion that sentence could have made. "You are now in Arda, Middle Earth, specifically just South of Hobbiton in the Shire."

"Ooookay, yeah, none of those names mean anything to me," Ruby admitted. "So… what then?"

"It is my tentative belief that you have traveled from a different Realm," Gandalf dropped the bombshell on her.

"Wait… I'm in a completely different world now?" Ruby asked disbelievingly. Well, I suppose that isn't too disbelievable, since he's never heard of Dust and the friggin moon is whole… "I don't know if that's exciting or terrifying."

"You would be surprised at how often those two things coincide," Gandalf admitted. "I think it'll be however you want it to be, good or bad."

Huh, I suppose that's one way of looking at it, Ruby thought. "So how do I get back home?" Yang is probably going crazy right now… Weiss is probably switching back and forth between worry and irritation, Ruby could almost hear her ranting, and Blake is trying to get everyone to see things objectively but is secretly worried as well. Oh geeze.

Gandalf did the equivalent of a shrug, "I don't know. That type of magical power is beyond what I can do, or even all the wizards together. Only the Valar could possibly accomplish something of that magnitude."

"Oh. So… where could I find them?" Ruby asked.

Gandalf smiled sadly. "I'm afraid Miss Rose, that that is quite impossible. The Valar are our gods, and reside in a far off land and have very rarely interfered with our affairs, and only in the most dire of circumstances."

"Oh." Ruby muttered, subdued. Well that's a problem if the only ones that could help me are mythical beings. "I guess I'm stuck then." She sighed.

"There's always hope," Gandalf said. "Just because I've never heard of this 'Dust' before doesn't mean that it doesn't exist here and someone else knows."

Ruby perked up a bit. "Yeah! I could go out and find it, then recreate what happened! It might take a while, but I'm sure I could!"

Gandalf frowned. "While I'm sure you could, the wilds are a dangerous place to wander, and the mountains are hazardous as well. Many creatures don't take kindly to human presences, especially one as yourself."

Ruby became serious upon hearing this. "Are there Grimm here too?" Oh please tell me there aren't. That would just be the topping on the cake… mmm, cake… no, focus Ruby!

Gandalf shook his head. "Grimm?" He asked questioningly.

"Well, the Creatures of Grimm are soulless and Auraless creatures that just want to wipe out humans and Faunus both. If it weren't for Dust then we would have been wiped out long ago. They're usually black with glowing red eyes and white boney plates with red designs on them, and are attracted by negative emotions," Ruby described, giving a textbook answer.

Gandalf shook his head again, "No, there are no such creatures as that, but there are others that serve the darkness that are just as deadly."

Ruby nodded in understanding. "Huh. Well in any case I can take care of myself, as long as I have my sweetheart here," Ruby said as she patted Crescent Rose on her back.

Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Sweetheart?"

Ruby grinned and jumped off the log, pulling out and triggering her weapon with an shwish-chick clank clunk, did a little twirl, then embedded the tip in the ground. Gandalf was startled and almost lost his balance recoiling. He blinked several times in surprise. "Is… is that a scythe?" He asked.

Whoa, deja-vu much? Ruby smirked. "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle."

Gandalf blinked again. "A what?"

"It's also a gun," she echoed the previous conversation with hilarity.

Gandalf still looked confused. "Gun?"

This time, it was Ruby that blinked and her humor dimmed a bit. They don't know what a gun is… Has this Middle Earth not gotten to firearms yet? "It's, ah, like a crossbow, but shoots a lot faster, further, and stronger."

Gandalf looked at it in surprise and intense curiosity now. "Indeed? How did you- where did it come from?"

"Oh, I pulled it out of it's storage," Ruby said as she triggered it again to fold up on itself with the mechanical shifting sound, then held it up for Gandalf to inspect like a kid holding up a piece of art they made for their parents.

His bushy eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. "And why would you have such a weapon?"

"Well, I'm a Huntress in training, so it's natural…" Wait, he probably doesn't know what a Huntress is. "Oh, so basically we go and train to kill the Grimm on-in my world. That's what Hunters and Huntresses do for a living; protect the people from the Grimm and kill them."

Gandalf hummed to himself, thinking heavily, then nodded, deciding on something. Ruby saw the calculating look in his eyes before it turned warmer. "Well, you've told your story, it seems fitting that I tell you mine." Ruby retook her seat on the tree. "Currently I'm looking for others to gather in a company for a quest."

"Ooh, what kind of quest?" Ruby questioned.

"A quest to reclaim a home and gold from a dragon," Gandalf replied.

Ruby's eyes grew big. "Dragons exist here?"

"For as much trouble as they cause, unfortunately yes."

"So you're trying to kill it and get back your gold?"

"Well, it's not my gold, I don't have much use for it. It's my companion's though and in the end it may come to killing the beast. The dragon, Smaug, hasn't moved in years from his lair, the Lonely Mountain, which used to be a great Dwarven kingdom and a mine rich with gems and metals of all sorts and make. After Smaug raised the mountain, the Dwarves that lived there have been wandering, homeless. Now, there are a few who are looking to take back their homeland."

"I want to join!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. A quest like the ones in the stories! Traveling, having all sorts of adventures, kill a dragon at the end and get the gold back… and maybe I can find Dust there. That's usually how the stories go.

Gandalf seemed taken aback by her eagerness. "Why? To be perfectly blunt it doesn't concern you and you haven't even been offered anything in return if you want to join."

"Well, for one, it's the right thing to do," Ruby said. "If they don't have a home, then they should get theirs back. And since you said it's a mine, they may have found Dust there. Also," Ruby added with a smirk, "I recognize the beginning of a recruitment offer." Ozpin and several other teachers have the same set-up. "You were going to ask me to join eventually, right?"

Gandalf had a dumbfounded look on his face before he started chuckling which built up into a full blown laugh. "You are a remarkable individual Miss Ruby Rose," he commented once he calmed down. "Admittedly the thought had crossed my mind when you described what you do… Yes. Very well. If you want to come with us, then I won't stop you. However," he said, changing tone, getting her attention, "some of our other companions may have some objection to your volunteering."

"Eh, I can deal with it." Having Weiss as a partner for those first few weeks can get me through anything people can say. "When the time comes I'll just let my weapon and skills do the talking."

Gandalf made an amused grunting sound. "Very well. You'll have to convince them to let you join. In fact, I was on my way to meet them before this detour."

"Okay then," Ruby said as she hopped off the log. "Let's go meet them." Gandalf nodded and slid off the tree, then started walking away, making sure Ruby was following.

"So, where are we exactly? Do you have a map or something that I can look at?"

"Not at the moment, but I'm sure there will be maps for you to look at," Gandalf answered. "As for where, we are in the Shire, home of the Hobbits, about 300 miles west of the Misty Mountains. Over 600 to the Lonely Mountain."

Ruby's eyes grew wide at the amount of miles. That's about halfway to Vacuo on foot. That's how far we need to go? Hoo-boy, that's not going to be a simple walk. She put the concept of the vast distance aside and thought back to something Gandalf said. "Hobbits? What are Hobbits?"

"Halflings, commonly about three-and-a-half feet tall. They populate this part of the land and care for it. They're a curious bunch, and have many hidden and useful talents. One of them will be playing host for us later and may join the quest as our burglar."

Ruby frowned. "Why would we need a burglar?"

Gandalf seemed to realize that he said something he shouldn't have. "Ah, huh hum… that, will be discussed later."

Ruby fell silent and just enjoyed the scenery. This has it's own beauty like Forever Fall, but… strangely more natural. More earthy. And apparently I don't have to worry about Grimm attacks. Well, I like it here already. The sunlight was about to dip over the horizon when Ruby heard merry voices chatting away. When they came closer she saw a peculiar sight.

All of the… people in front of her were shorter than she was but had the appearance of grown men. All eight of them had some sort of beard and moustache combo that would give Port a run for his money, and all were equipped with various armor and weapons, mainly axes and thick swords for the most part. Okay… definitely the stereotypical Dwarves.

One of them with red hair (it was more orange than anything) noticed their approach. "Hey look! It's Gandalf!" He announced and the other Dwarves turned to look.

"Ah Gandalf, we were wondering when you were going to reappear," another said who was wearing an interesting hat, and had a black moustache and beard. "We were confused as to where we were supposed to go."

"Forgive me, but I got sidetracked. However, it was not without benefits. I managed to enlist another person for the quest, and I think her skills will be quite invaluable," Gandalf said, motioning to Ruby beside him. "This is Ruby Rose. Ruby, allow me to present Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur." Gandalf pointed them out by name but Ruby couldn't keep up and promptly forgot all of their names and the faces they went to.

Ruby was suddenly under the scrutiny of the eight Dwarves. "Uhh, hello?" Ruby said/greeted. There was silence.

One of the Dwarfs spoke up, who was carrying an axe, "No disrespect lassie, but I don' think yer right for the job… unless this be the burglar yer talkin' about Gandalf?"

"No she's not, but she has fighting experience against evil creatures, and against a dragon she might have the best chance of killing it out of all of us."

"Um, sure," Ruby said. Okay, I wouldn't go that far. Depends on the size of the dragon. "I guess."

"How old are you?" A Dwarf said, who had his brown hair in three bunches.

"Fifteen, almost sixteen," Ruby answered.

That answer caused the Dwarves to mutter amongst themselves. "Yep, that settles it. You're too young to fight, even by man's standards," another white/grey haired Dwarf said, who was carrying a bolas.

"Hey, I can fight," Ruby protested.

"With what?" The orange haired Dwarf asked.

"With this," Ruby said and swung Crescent Rose out with its mechanical shifting noise, then planting the point in the ground again with a heavy thunk. This caused the Dwarves to fall silent in surprise, both from seeing a huge weapon appear out of nowhere behind her back where it couldn't possibly be hidden, and seeing a fifteen year old girl with said weapon.

Gandalf was smirking to himself as he said, "Trust me when I say I have found someone else that can help you, just as you did when I said I found a burglar. Ruby from what she told me has experience hunting dangerous creatures and would provide one more blade."

The Dwarves bunched together and whispered amongst each other again, then the one with the hat said, "Maybe a practical demonstration before things are finalized?"

Gandalf and Ruby shared a glance and Ruby shrugged. Okay how do I do this? I don't exactly want to hurt anyone… oh that would work! She walked over to a good, thick tree and brought back Crescent Rose, then swung with a lot of force behind it. There was a swish and a thud, then a creaking as the trunk of the tree, along with everything above the cut toppled over. Ruby had to resist shouting 'timber!' as the tree fell. There was a loud thud and the cracking of breaking branches, then the tree settled down. Ruby collapsed her sweetheart and then turned to look at the Dwarves.

Once again they all had shocked expressions on their faces, blinking several times. Finally one of them, one who had some sort of thing he was holding up to his ear said, "Yep. She'll do." All at once they started talking, trying to say or converse with her.

Ruby took a couple steps back to try to put some space between them, but they surrounded her. Okay, that's a little too close. She crouched then jumped, activating her semblance so she could get some distance to jump over them. She knew from experience that it would have looked like she just vanished in a whiff of rose petals, but that was fine. A little showing off never hurt anyone… except when I tried to solo that Deathstalker during initiation… Yeahhhh, not doing that again.

She adjusted her angle of descent and landed outside of the ring of confused Dwarves, all of them silent again. "Uhmm?" She got their attention and almost laughed when they turned around wide eyed. "Maybe we could… do the thing Gandalf wants to do and go to that one place? We could talk on the way," she added to appease them.

"Ruby's right," Gandalf said, recovering first and taking the attention off of her thankfully. "We have a little ways to go and I'm sure you all want something to fill your bellies-" As soon as he said that, both Ruby and the largest (see: fattest) Dwarves' stomachs growled. Ruby felt her face go red a bit and she smiled sheepishly. Gandalf just gave her an amused look before continuing. "So, follow me. By the way, where are the others?"

"Oh they went ahead. Still don't know where Thorin is though," the dwarf with white-grey hair said.

"Typical," Gandalf grumbled to himself. The group made their way up the road, the Dwarves chatting amongst themselves. Ruby felt slightly out of place and stuck close to Gandalf, and not just because she was for once one of the taller people in the group. I still don't understand how I got here because of a Dust explosion. I never heard of something like this before… Generally there's just a big crater where such a thing happened. How worried is the rest of my team?

"Hey Lass, how'd ya do that rose disappearin ' trick?" The orange bearded one asked, suddenly drawing her from her contemplation.

"Huh? Oh, that's my Semblance; I can go like 'bazeww', really fast," Ruby explained, throwing in the hand motion of shooting forward. "What's yours?"

The blank stare that she received confirmed something that she had somewhat suspected before. "Soooo, I'm guessing you don't have Aura either?"

"'Fraid not."

"Oh." Ruby said. Just one other difference from Remnant to this world then. "Well, from where I'm from, I attend a school to train and fight monsters." She now realized she had the Dwarves' attention, so she decided to roll with it. "Everyone has a Semblance, which is a way your soul manifests itself, and Aura, which helps and protects you, like a shield… just around your body. Actually it's more like armor," she realized aloud.

"So this Aura and Semblance thing is what let's you swing that scythe around?" The Dwarf with the tri-hair thing asked.

"Yep. Well with lots of training with my uncle. Everyone's Semblance is different though. My sister has one where if she gets hit, she hits back harder. And she spontaneously combusts from time to time. But she's fine." Ruby wouldn't admit it aloud, but she was starting to enjoy the dumbfounded looks she would get when she said something like that.

They continued to ask questions and Ruby would respond as best she could. She didn't exactly want to say she was from a different world all together, and just said she was from far away. Thankfully the Dwarves didn't pry and were more interested in her skills, which she described as best as she could.

The group made their way through a nice green and lush landscape, which had houses in the hills. They were small houses though… and Ruby could tell why. There were a few people out and they were shorter than even the Dwarves. Oh, so those must be Hobbits. Wow they're short. They look like children… but adult. Wow that's confusing. At least the Dwarves are a little more straightforward… She broke off that train of thought before it could go any lower and focused on seeing what she could see.

The entire countryside was growing with plants and flowers, and although it was dark, Ruby could tell it was beautiful. I don't I've seen anything like this back home. Like Forever Fall, anything this pretty usually has Grimm crawling over it, and the safest places are inside the cities where parks are about as close as we get to this. As much as I want to go home, I'll enjoy this while I can. And the air is so fresh!

Gandalf led them up to the top of a hill, where there was another Hobbit home that had a tree on top of it. "And this is it," Gandalf said and pointed to the door. There was a glowing blue mark on it that Ruby thought looked like a stylized tree.

"Well then, let's go," one of the Dwarves said and opened up the front gate. All eight Dwarves went to the front door and someone rang the doorbell. Ruby and Gandalf stayed close to the back.

"So, why are we here again?" Ruby asked.

"To get our burglar, and to gather everyone to begin."

"Ah." Ruby could hear some shouting from inside.

"There's nobody home!" The voice sounded angry. "Go away and bother somebody else. There's far too many Dwarves in my dining room as it is."

Ruby snorted. "Soooo… was he asked like me or was he drafted without knowing it?" Ruby asked, amused at the person's shouting. Reminds me of when Nora's on one of her rants, just before she gets distracted and completely forgets what she was ranting about.

"The second one," Gandalf answered. "Incredibly amusing for me." Just then the door opened and one of the Dwarves was leaning against it when it opened. He started to fall backwards, and grabbed somebody else, not helping either in the slightest. That one grabbed another and it was like watching a pile of dominos fall over, or more like when somebody bumps Blake's bookcase. They all sprawled out in the doorway of the Hobbit's home in a dog pile.

Ruby laughed at the Dwarves insulting each other, then she looked up and saw a Hobbit in the hall. He was short, like the other Hobbits she had seen, and had brown curly hair, and looked like he was almost in his sleepwear with a quilted robe covering himself. Ruby also noticed that his feet were bare and were extremely hairy.

"Gandalf," the Hobbit stated in exasperation, as if he were to blame for all his troubles (as he rightfully was).

The Dwarves started picking themselves off of the ground and introducing themselves.

"Bofur,"

"Gloin,"

"Ori,"

"Nori,"

"Dori,"

"Oin,"

"Bombur,"

"Bifur"

"At your service!" They all finished at the same time.

"Ah-ha! There's the rest of you!" A tall Dwarf (an oxymoron if Ruby ever knew one) with the top of his head bald, came in. "Come, we're getting supper ready, come join us!"

"Dwalin!" Bofur? greeted, (Ruby thought that was his name) and they all went further inside, brushing past the Hobbit. The ruckus from further in suddenly got upped up twelve notches.

Gandalf entered himself and had to practically bend over all the way to get inside the door. Ruby followed his lead and only had to duck her head slightly. Gandalf gave a mischievous smile to the Hobbit and a wink to Ruby before going further inside to the growing chaos.

"Uhh," Ruby started, "if it makes you feel better I'll try to be quieter than them." The Hobbit turned to glance at her.

"It doesn't actually," he said, frustration evident in his voice. The frown he had seemed to want to become permanent as well

"Sorry." Ruby shrugged. "Anyway, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose," she held out her hand.

The Hobbit still had enough manners about him to shake it and introduce himself, "Bilbo Baggins." He paused. "You're not a Dwarf are you?"

"Nope, I'm a human. I'm just with them and Gandalf," Ruby answered.

Bilbo studied her for a moment, then said, "You have remarkable silver eyes."

"Oh, um, thank you?" Well at least that wasn't as awkward as Ozpin's…

Bilbo seemed to realize that he may have said something a bit uncomfortable and then said, "Sorry, um, would you like me to take your coat?"

"No, that's fine, thank you. But you don't happen to know where the weapons are put though?" I don't particularly want to be carrying my sweetheart around in somebody's house.

Bilbo blinked in surprise. "Umm, just right over there is fine," he pointed to a small closet that had the other's weapons in it.

"Alright, thanks." Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose from its holster and placed it with the others, earning a strange look at the weapon from Bilbo. She also placed her Beacon bag along side it. There was a sudden loud noise from the kitchen that got their attention. "I think you should go see what they're doing." Ruby advised him worriedly.

"Right you are," Bilbo said, then rushed further into his house. Ruby took her time, not really eager to join in the chaos even though she was hungry.

We are sorta raiding his kitchen… and I don't think he knew we were coming from his shouting and… irritation with us. Ruby walked around the house, only really needing to lower her head in a few places. The Hobbit house/dwelling was homely, nothing really overly decorative or fancy. There were some paintings and portraits of who were most likely family members, and there were, thankfully, some maps.

Ruby took a closer look and saw that this one was apparently the area they were in at the moment, and it showed all the lands around the Shire. Hobbiton, Westfarthing, and other areas were on the map. But this is only a local map, Ruby noticed as she saw the scale, only in the tens of miles, rather than fifties or hundreds. Middle Earth is a lot larger than this.

Not seeing any other maps, Ruby moved on to the dining room and immediately needed to squeeze against the wall to not get hit by the fattest Dwarf… who was also carrying at least three wheels of cheese. That's a… a lot of cheese, Ruby thought in slight awe. She heard someone say that he ate it by the block and thought, Oh dear. No wonder he's so fat… he's fatter than a Boarbatusk!

When she was fully inside the dining room, one of the Dwarves caught her attention and said, "Hey, Ruby, was it? Mind helping setting the table for all of us?"

"Huh? Oh sure, I'd love to help," Ruby answered.

"Great," the Dwarf with the hat… Bofur? said, and then immediately handed her a stack of plates. "Here you go!" Then he immediately went to do something else. Ruby was a bit miffed, but started putting plates down around the table, avoiding the others as they too moved about the now cramped room. She noticed that Gandalf had stepped out, making the room seem a little less crowded.

Some of the Dwarves were eating as they worked. Pieces of meat and bread were passed around, and Ruby couldn't help but snatch some of the food as it passed by. As a plate passed by, Ruby made a decision. Well I have to get to know these Dwarves' names at some point. Might as well start with him. "Um, excuse me?"

"Yes Lass? Who might you be?" Said the Dwarf, who had white hair and appeared older than the others.

"Oh, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. I guess you weren't with the others when they came then?"

"Nay, I was a tad early. The name's Balin, at your service." Balin said with a slight bow.

"I'm just a little nervous," Ruby admitted, "since I'm in an unfamiliar land and don't… exactly know what this quest is about."

Balin gave her his full attention. "How did you get involved in this?"

"Well, Gandalf found me and thought that I could help with the dragon, and I wanted to help… so here I am." And that's excluding the series of events that led up to me being in this world.

"Hmm, well if Gandalf thought it would be alright, then I for one will not argue against him. Glad to have you," Balin decided.

"Glad to be here," Ruby replied. Though I would like to be back home though, but this journey seems like the way to go about doing that.

"Oi, Balin, budge over a wee bit," the Dwarf with the orange hair and beard said, carrying a chair. Unfortunately the chair almost got stuck in Ruby's cloak and she alarmedly got it free from the chair leg.

"Hey, watch it!" Ruby said, trying to be stern, but knew she couldn't really pull off the look.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding very sorry, and put the chair down.

"That'll be Gloin, my cousin," Balin said. "A little gruff, but has a big heart."

Ruby nodded, listening. Then she had an idea. "Would you mind terribly telling me about each of them? I-uhh- need to put names to faces."

"Ah, no shame in that Lassie. I'll do what I can." Balin said forgivingly.

"Thank you."

Dinner, and Ruby used the term loosely, was chaotic. It's like we're trying to eat while having a food fight… not that crazy one we had with JNPR though. And it's entertaining in a way, she thought as Bofur tossed something to Bombur and the… shapely Dwarf caught it in his mouth. Ruby got caught up in the moment and cheered with the Dwarves as if they had just won a tournament. The food was delicious, if a tad heavy on the spices with a lot of meat, bread, and vegetables being served. Food was being literally tossed around so they all had something of everything.

Fili (Ruby knew their names at least thanks to Balin, who had moved to the other side of the table) started walking on the table handing out ale. For a moment, Ruby was tempted, but remembered the warnings and the dangers of alcohol from dad and her uncle (which was ironic) and refused to touch the mug that was set in front of her.

"Oh, what's the matter Ruby? Haven't had ale before?" Kili asked next to her.

"Uh, no, I haven't. I think my sister may have, but I'm not sure. My Uncle Qrow though always has a flask on him though… I haven't had any."

"Well, now's your chance," he said excitedly, both of them ducking under Oin's spray of ale. The mug was shoved in her hand and Bofur shouted, "Ale on the count of three!"

Oh.

Oh no.

"One, two,"

No no no.

"Up!" Kili shouted, a mischievous smile on his face as he grabbed Ruby's mug, her hand still attached for some reason, and raised it up to her mouth.

Oh crap.

The ale went down her throat and she could feel it suddenly pool in her stomach, like when you drink uncomfortably warm water that's been left out in the sun and heat. It wasn't like anything she expected… but it wasn't exactly pleasant either and got the mug away from her with a slight coughing fit. It left a strange aftertaste in her mouth and she made to grab something to eat when she noticed something.

It was silent.

Not absolutely though, but it was a vast decrease from the volume of before. All the Dwarves were drinking their ale, and some (most) of them were spilling it all over themselves as they tilted the mugs too far. Okay, that's disgusting… and wasteful, Ruby thought. She saw that Gandalf was looking at them as well, seeming to be waiting, or bracing himself.

Nori was the first to break the silence with a loud belch, then Ori followed with an extremely long one. That was both impressive and disgusting at the same time. Ruby almost laughed out loud at a sudden thought. Weiss wouldn't be caught dead eating with these guys. She'd either storm out or burst a blood vein in her head… probably both. The order would be up for a coin toss. They still hadn't solved the debate of what happens when you flip a coin three times. Ruby had lost interest in that as she got confused.

Ruby felt a little queasy and could feel the little bit of ale she had sloshing around in her stomach with the rest of her food. The other Dwarves tried their own belches and Ruby had to stand up and leave. She found Bilbo just outside the dining room looking like he was contemplating the best place to hide the bodies. "Uh, Mr. Baggins? Could you tell me where the bathroom is?" Ruby asked nerviously.

Bilbo seemed to deflate a bit seeing that she wasn't a Dwarf and said, "Main hallway, three doors down on the left."

"Thank you," Ruby said and followed his advice. A few minutes later after taking care of business, Ruby stepped out of the bathroom, only to find a line of Dwarves waiting.

"Ah, was wondering who was in there," Dwalin said and then brushed past her and closed the door. Ruby was a bit perturbed by the near bald Dwarf, and decided not to stick around, considering the sound she was hearing from behind the door. Oh Dust that's disgusting.

Ruby wandered around the house a bit before returning to the kitchen, where the Dwarves were actually starting to clean up a bit.

"Hey Ruby, grab that plate will ya?" Kili said.

"Sure," Ruby replied as she put it on the growing stack to be cleaned. There was almost a rhythm going as they cleaned, the pounding the dishes and mugs made as they were cleaned, plus several of the Dwarves were intentionally making the beat.

She was distracted when Bilbo rounded the corner getting more and more frustrated. Ruby could tell whatever Gandalf was saying to him wasn't helping as Bilbo finally said, "I don't want to get used to them. Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet. They-they've pillaged the pantry! I'm not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom, they've all but destroyed the plumbing." Oh god, I did not need to hear that… guess it's a good thing I used it before them then… "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

There was a break in the 'conversation' then Ruby turned to look and suddenly had to dodge a plate that was thrown by Kili and caught by Bifur, who was cleaning off the plates, without looking. More plates started coming in, the Dwarven brothers treating the plates like a football* (OG: or soccer if you prefer) and kicked them around before getting them inside the kitchen. Ruby had to agree with Bilbo that it looked dangerous and they could break at any moment.

Then again… Ruby thought as she took a second look, they are being surprisingly… well, not gentle, but careful with them. The angle and force they're hitting them is precisely right as to not damage them. They… do know what they're doing apparently, Ruby had to admit.

The beat started to increase and become more coordinated and synchronized. The Dwarves used the utensils and their feet to make different sounds. "And could you not do that?" Bilbo admonished the Dwarves as he was trying to stop them from their work. "You'll blunt them."

"Oooh, Do you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives," Bofur said mockingly.

Kili started singing, ~"Blunt the knives, bend the forks,"~

~"Smash the bottles and burn the corks,"~ Fili chimed in.

~"Chip the glasses and crack the plaaaates,

~"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"~ All the Dwarves started singing, with a couple of them pulling out instruments to start playing along. Despite herself, Ruby had to smile at the spontaneity of it all. As they were singing, they all started cleaning up in earnest with the dishes stacking up to be washed.

~"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat,

Pour the milk on the pantry flooooooor!"~

Ruby got caught up in their clean up and was using a bit of her Aura to make sure everything went where it was supposed to. I'm having a lot of fun right now, she decided. Plates and bowls were rolling across the table and flying through the air, almost as if Pyrrha's using her Semblance and the plates were metal.

~"Splash the wine on every door,

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl,

Pound them up with a thumping pole,

When you're finished, if they are whollllle,

Send them down the hall to roll,

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"~ The Dwarves finished up their song and Ruby had even joined in on the last verse, even though she felt sorry for the heart attack they must have given the poor Hobbit. Bilbo himself pushed his way through the Dwarves and saw the nice neat stacks of clean dishes and mugs they had made.

"Not so bad if I say so myself," Ruby said to him as all the Dwarves laughed in merriment. Bilbo just gave her a blank disbelieving stare that made Ruby laugh a little bit.

As if a switch had been thrown, all laughter ceased when there was a solid thumping on the door. There was a moments pause before Gandalf said, "He is here." Gandalf then got up from his chair to the front door.

"Uh, who's here?" Ruby asked, suddenly feeling like the outsider again.

"Thorin," Balin said, then all the Dwarves got up to follow Gandalf. Ruby took the slightly longer route so she could be in the opening hall, but before she got there she heard a new voice.

"Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." Ruby got to where she wanted to be and saw another Dwarf come in. He had long black hair that could have given Blake a run for its money and a nicely trimmed goatee. Ruby could tell there was a different aura (lower case) around him that separated him from the other Dwarves.

Bilbo shimmied his way through the Dwarves blocking the hallway. "Mark? There's no mark on that door, it was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark, I put it there myself," Gandalf admitted, closing the door in question. He turned around and then made eye contact with Ruby, then gestured to both Bilbo and Ruby. "Bilbo Baggins, Ruby Rose, allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin had looked at Bilbo when the Hobbit's name was called, but when her own was, he turned around and made direct eye contact. "I didn't know we were getting an extra member. And a young human girl at that," Thorin said, taking a second look at her.

"It was sorta' last minute?" Ruby said/asked. Stupid, why did that come out as a question?

"And what do you think you can add to our quest?" Thorin asked/interrogated.

"Well, I can fight really well," Ruby answered. All right, I can tell he doesn't like me already. He doesn't even know me yet.

Thorin had a skeptical look on his face. "Well then, since you claim to be a fighter, what's your weapon of choice? Ax or sword? Or a sewing needle?" He asked mockingly, although nobody laughed since the majority of the people there had seen what she could do. It was a tense moment for everyone to see how she would react.

"Actually a scythe," Ruby replied, holding down her ire, and earning a surprised look from Thorin.

"An unusual weapon, one I've never thought or seen as a weapon before" he seemed hesitant to admit that. "But do you have the skill and strength to use it?"

Ruby looked him straight in the eyes and answered, "Yes. I've been training for years and have the strength to back up that claim."

"It's true," Nori said. "She chopped a tree down in one swing." The other Dwarves that were there nodded in agreement.

Ruby was pleased when a gleam of surprise and a little bit of consideration came into Thorin's eyes. "And where is your scythe? I happen to notice that you don't have it with you."

"Right there," Ruby said, pointing to the red weapon visible in the closet.

"That doesn't look like a scythe to me," Thorin said, the doubt heavy in his voice.

"It transforms into a scythe," Ruby said, suddenly grateful for the other Dwarves nodding.

"Aye," Gloin said, "some sort of magic in the metal lets it do that."

Thorin was silent, thinking for a long minute before he said, "I will not ask you to come with us, and will admit I do not want you to come as I have doubts about your so-called skill." Oh gee, might as well say that all I'm good for is cooking and making clothes. Ruby huffed a bit, frowning in her growing irritation. "But if you choose to, then that'll be your decision."

"I'll get another contract written up in a jiffy," Balin said.

Thorin just grunted and then remembered the owner of the house they were in. He turned around and looked Bilbo up and down. "So… this is the Hobbit I've heard about. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, what experience of fighting do you have?"

"Pardon me?" Bilbo seemed confused at that question.

"What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin continued. "What invaluable skill do you have?"

"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know… but I fail to see why that's relevant," Bilbo said.

"Thought as much," Thorin said dryly. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." He earned some chuckles this time. He walked further inside and the other Dwarves followed him. Ruby, Bilbo, and Gandalf were the only ones left, and Ruby saw Gandalf give a silent sigh in exasperation.

"I'm sorry about him," Gandalf apologized. "He always has lacked a certain tact to cushion his words."

Ruby sighed and shrugged. "Not the first time I've met someone like that." Early Weiss counts right?

"I'll just be glad when they leave," Bilbo grumbled. The trio followed the Dwarves who had cleared the table of the dishes and returned to their seats. Refills of ale were passed out, and Thorin sat down at the head of the table, with a little meal in front of him. Gandalf sat to his left, while Bilbo still lingered on the edges again. Ruby crept in and sat further down the table on one of the open seats. The Dwarves seemed to finish their greetings with Thorin and there was a momentary lull.

"So, what news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked as they all got situated, two long pieces of paper in front of him, one of them full, the other only slightly filled out, but he was working on that with a quill.

"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin answered, eating a bit of his stew. The Dwarves seemed happy with that and gave little exclamations of satisfaction.

"And what did the Dwarves of the Iron Hills say?" Dwalin asked next. "Is Dain with us?"

Thorin sighed and slouched a bit. "They will not come." They? Other Dwarves? Why wouldn't they come? The Dwarves were disappointed with this news as Thorin continued; "They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

"You're… going on a quest?" Bilbo asked, finally making his way in. Oh, I suppose he doesn't exactly know yet, Ruby thought. On second thought, neither do I. Or not all of it anyway.

Gandalf seemed to remember Bilbo was there and said, "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let me shed a little more light on the subject." He reached into his robe and brought out a map that he spread out on the table. "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak." Ruby herself got up and took a peak over Dwalin's shoulder.

"'The Lonely Mountain,'" Bilbo read off the map.

"Aye, Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time," Gloin stated.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold," Oin said. "'When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'" He recited. Ruby was distracted a bit when Gandalf needed to shake his hand to get rid of a fire… that had no source. She mentally shrugged. Oh well, my Sis literally catches on fire. Plus there was that woman when I fought Torchwick the first time.

"Uh, what beast?" Bilbo said, now sounding understandably tense.

"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible," Bofur explained, "chiefest and greatest calamity of our age."

"Airborne fire-breather," somebody added.

"Teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks," Bofur continued "Extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes I know what a dragon is," Bilbo interrupted, not amused.

Ori stood up suddenly and proclaimed, "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!" The Dwarves were amused at his spirit, but Dori dragged him down before he could make more of a fool of himself.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen. Fourteen if Miss Rose joins us. And we may not have the best, nor brightest amongst us."

Ruby snorted slightly at the implied insult while the other Dwarves realized what it was. Eventually Fili spoke up. "We may be few in number but we're fighters, all of us, to the last Dwarf!"

Kili took the reigns, "And you forget we have a Wizard in our company! Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time."

Gandalf started in surprise and started to protest modestly, "Oh, well, no, I wouldn't say I-"

"How many then?" Dori asked then.

"What?" Ruby almost laughed at that.

"Well how many dragons have you killed?" Gandalf remained silent and started coughing from the smoke. "Go on, give us a number!"

At that all of the Dwarves got up and started yelling at each other for seemingly no reason. Bilbo tried to calm them down but they ignored him. Then Thorin shouted something that Ruby couldn't understand and the Dwarves immediately fell silent.

Thorin stood. "If we have read these signs do you not think others have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?" Thorin cried out, drawing cheers from the Dwarves. Ruby herself almost wanted to leap out right that moment.

Balin tried to bring them back down to reality. "You forget; the Front Gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin," Gandalf interjected, "is not entirely true." He suddenly had an ornate key in his hand that he twirled around for them to see.

Thorin looked awed at the key. "How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father. By Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now," Gandalf said, handing the key over to the Dwarven leader.

"If there is a key, there must be a door," Fili reasoned.

Gandalf used his pipe to point to the map, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the Lower Halls."

"So there's another way in, that we can sneak in through," Ruby said aloud, reminding them that she was still there.

"Well, that is if we can find it," Gandalf said. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed."

"Oh." Ruby muttered.

"The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori exclaimed.

"Hmm, and a good one too. An expert I'd imagine." Bilbo commented, missing the meaning.

Gloin pointedly asked, "And are you?"

Bilbo looked up and then behind him as if Gloin was talking to someone behind him. "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert. Heh-hey!" Oin laughed with his ear thingy in his ear.

"Me?! No. No, no, no! I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life," Bilbo protested.

"Well I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins," Balin grumbled. "He's hardly burglar material."

"Aye the Wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," Dwalin said.

"So what about you Ms. Rose? Could you be stealthy enough for this?" Nori then asked.

Ruby blinked, suddenly in the spotlight. "Ah, well, I mean, I probably could," she stuttered, "but I'm hardly burglar material. I'm more of a fighter, like 'swish-swish-slice'. Now if my teammate Blake were here…" she trailed off. Blake could get in and out before anyone would notice she was gone. She's good like that.

"So where's he?" Gloin challenged.

Ruby frowned sadly. "She's not here. I'm by myself."

"And that just brings up the question why exactly are you here on your lonesome? Where do you hail from?" Kili asked.

"We hardly know anything about you save for that giant scythe you can carry around like nothing," Nori said. "You said you came from far away; exactly how far?"

"And why do you choose to fight? And why are you so young?"

"Just exactly how did you do that petal disappearing trick?"

The questions suddenly started pouring in like a burst dam, and then degraded from there as the Dwarves once again started arguing and shouting amongst themselves. Ruby looked from one Dwarf to another, unable to answer any questions if and when they were directed at her. Ah! This is too much! I'm suddenly reconsidering being a part of this!

A tingle went up Ruby's spine, and she felt something; the kind of feeling she only got when there were Grimm trying to surround her. "Enough!" Came a thunderous voice that Ruby recognized as Gandalf's. His shadow seemed to grow and expand in the room, pressing on everyone, forcing them to be silent. "Ruby Rose is not our burglar, and if I say Bilbo Baggins is, then a burglar he is!" The shadow regressed and Gandalf calmed down. "Hobbits are naturally stealthy, being remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of Dwarf and man," Gandalf gave a nod to Ruby, "the scent of a Hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage.

"And as for Ruby, she told me that where she comes from she trains to fight monsters that are as vicious as a mountain trolls to protect her land. Her skills are needed in order to survive there, and I believe that she could provide our victory against the dragon if our main plan doesn't work and we are forced to confront him directly." Ruby couldn't help but have a small smile on her face at his words of support.

Gandalf sat down and turned to Thorin. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I've chosen Mr. Baggins. And by chance and fate we have a fifteenth member as well. There's a lot more to them, especially for Bilbo, than appearances suggest. And both have a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself," Gandalf added, looking directly at the Hobbit.

Thorin still looked unsure. Gandalf added a little bit more push. "You must trust me on this."

They looked at each other before Thorin said, "Very well. We'll do it your way." Ruby could hear Bilbo weakly protesting that he was being accepted into the company, but everyone was ignoring him. "Give him the contract." Thorin told Balin as the other Dwarves cheered.

"It's just the usual," Balin said, handing him the stack of paper. "Summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo stammered, echoing Ruby's thoughts, as he was handed the paper. After a moment he stepped out and unfolded it, the paper going down almost to the floor. Ruby could hear his groan of despair. It's one she heard many times from herself, such as when a large essay paper was due soon.

"Now for you Ms. Rose," Balin said, "I haven't finished writing your copy yet, but yours will be the same. I've even included the adjusted share, now one-fifteenth of the total profit. There'll be a few changes, but nothing stopping it from being legitimate."

"Oh, okay, I wasn't really expecting a contract though. I guess I'll take it then…" she trailed off as she heard Bilbo muttering aloud what he was reading.

"…lacerations… evisceration?... Incineration?!" He asked to clarify.

"Oh aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur agreed.

"Well that's encouraging," Ruby muttered sarcastically. Bilbo whimpered off to the side.

"You all right laddie?" Balin asked.

"Huh? Yeah." Bilbo said distractedly, taking shallow breaths. "Feel a bit faint." Oh that's not good, Ruby thought.

"Think furnace with wings," Bofur continued.

"Air. I-I-I need air." Oh boy.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof. You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Okay, now I'm feeling a bit faint. "Not helping," Ruby said to the Dwarf.

Ruby saw that Bilbo was going to faint and started to move over to him. "Nope." Bilbo decided, and then started falling. Ruby used a bit of her semblance to catch him before his head hit the floor, rose petals appearing again. She slowly laid him on the ground, then turned around to Bofur.

"And was that supposed to reassure him?" She questioned accusingly.

Bofur just shrugged, "Just telling him what to expect."

Bilbo stirred and groaned a bit, waking up again. "Whoa, take it easy there," Ruby said, going back to his side, slowly helping him up.

"I feel like I was just struck by lightning," Bilbo muttered. He slowly sat up and then stumbled his way into another room. Gandalf followed him, bringing a cup of tea with him. Ruby sighed.

"Were you trying to scare him off?" Ruby asked.

"He should know what's expected of him," Thorin countered. "If he truly wants to do this, then he will. If he doesn't, then we've lost nothing and will continue regardless."

Ruby frowned. "I thought you needed a burglar?"

Thorin glared at her, almost forcing her back a step, but she stood her ground. "A burglar would have been just one means to an end. A welcome one, but something we can work around."

They entered a staring contest before Thorin stood up and walked away, making Ruby huff. Why is he treating Bilbo like a disposable asset? I mean, sure Bilbo isn't the person I would feel like I would want with me as a burglar, but that wouldn't mean I'd talk about him like that. But I don't think he'd come with us anyway…

She was proven right when she saw Bilbo walk away with a tired, but steadfast look on his face, clearly showing he was uninterested. "It appears we have lost our burglar," she heard Balin say to Thorin. "Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners… tinkers, toy-makers." He chuckled. "Hardly the stuff of legend."

"There are a few warriors amongst us," Thorin countered, giving a sly look at Balin. Ruby wandered a little closer to them.

"Old warriors," Balin emphasized.

"I would take each and every one of these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart. I can ask no more than that," Thorin said. That brought a small smile to Ruby's face.

"You don't have to do this," Balin tried to persuade Thorin. "You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains. A life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."

"From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me," Thorin held up the key. "They dreamt of a day when the Dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice Balin. Not for me."

"And we are with you laddie." Balin promised after a moment. "We will see it done." They then noticed Ruby was there.

They looked at each other for a while before Ruby spoke, "I-I know that I'm a stranger to you, but I do want to help you. Not because of any reward or gold, but because it's the right thing to do."

Thorin was silent for a moment before he said, "That's very honorable of you Ruby Rose. A tad naïve, but honorable nonetheless. If you truly have the skill to fight, then I will accept you on our quest."

Ruby gave a smile. "Thank you." Thorin said nothing in return, but walked to the main room, leaving Ruby and Balin behind.

"You are a brave lass Ms. Rose," Balin said. "Not many would willingly help us without greed or selfish reasons."

Ruby gave a sheepish look. "I am sorta' doing it for myself a bit," she admitted. "I wasn't lying when I said I was far from home, but I don't know how to get back to my own worl- land," Ruby changed the word midsentence. "I'm hoping there's a way back somewhere at the Lonely Mountain."

Balin looked confused, but accepted her explanation. "I do hope you find your way to return home. But until then, I too welcome you. That reminds me," Balin said suddenly, "I still need to finish your contract. Probably won't be done until tomorrow, but I can get most of it done tonight."

"That's fine," Ruby said, then remembered Bilbo. "So what's gonna happen if Bilbo doesn't come?"

Balin sighed. "We'll have to change our plan accordingly. Our best bet would have been to sneak in and somehow kill the beast in its sleep."

Ruby grimaced. I've heard of stories where Hunter teams would try to catch Grimm unaware in an ambush, especially elder Grimm. It never goes well. "I don't think that would work well." I guess Bilbo has an important part of this after all, but he's not interested… It would be interesting for him to come. The more the merrier… But how would he be interested?

"Do you think Bilbo will come?" Ruby asked.

Balin sighed, "I don't know. I would hope that he does though."

That decided it for Ruby. She nodded. "I hope so too." She walked past Balin and went to the closet where her bag was. Thankfully it still has my school stuff in here. Hopefully there's… paper! And a pen! Good. She took a look at the notebook. Eeh, Grimm studies. I can afford to take a page out of this. She ripped a piece of paper out of the back and grabbed a pen, then went to the dining table and started writing.

To Bilbo:

First off, I'd like to thank you for your hospitality (unwilling as it may have been) and at least letting us meet here. You had no obligation to do so, yet you at least tolerated us for the evening.

Now for the serious part. I understand that you may not want to join for… reasons. And frankly, if I were a different person, I would be exactly like you. Wanting to stay at home with the things and people I feel comfortable around. But I'm not. I'm a Huntress, or at least in-training, meaning that it's my job (and dream) to protect the people of my Kingdom and fight monsters and basically make the world a better place. My mom and dad were/are a Huntresses and Hunters, and my mom, Summer, died doing her job. But I still wanted to be a Huntress, because I want to help people.

And these Dwarves… for their flaws, need our help. I know that you feel that you won't be able to give any at all, but you never know until you try. I was complete garbage before my uncle taught me everything I know and then some. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you could stay, but you'll never know what you've missed if you do. The Dwarves may never get back their mountain, and there'll still be a dragon flying around. Sometimes, the most insignificant people can change the world; can become heroes.

I think you have that potential. I want you to at least think about signing the contract and coming with us. Who knows? Maybe you'll actually have a good time.

Hope to see you with us,

-Ruby Rose

Ruby added a little sketch of her symbol next to her name and then folded up the letter and placed it on the table. I hope that changes his mind.

She sighed and leaned back in a chair before hearing the last strains of a song ending from the main room. Curious she got up and went to the doorway. "What next?" Someone asked.

Thorin stared into the fire for a while before saying, "The Song of the Lonely Mountain." The other Dwarves nodded and shifted around a bit.

Feeling the urge to get this, Ruby took out her Scroll and turned on the camera to video setting and hit 'record'. Just in time too before the Dwarves started humming. Then Thorin started singing.

~"Far over the Misty Mountains cold,

To dungeons deep, and caverns old,

We must away, 'ere break of day,

To find our long forgotten gold."~

Other Dwarves started singing as well.

~"The pines were roaring along the height,

The winds were moaning in the night,

The fire was red, it flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light…

Far away from Misty Mountains cold"~

Ruby got the chills when they were singing, but kept the camera steady until they were finished, then hit 'stop' and put away her Scroll. I'll have to show the team that when I get back.

There was a moment of silence before Thorin roused himself and turned to the Dwarves. "The hour is late. We must go back to the inn to be ready for tomorrow. Miss Rose, do you have a place to stay?"

Ruby shook herself. "Uh, no I don't actually," she shrugged apologetically.

"No matter, we have enough coin to rent another room for a night."

Ruby breathed out, relieved that a problem had been solved before she knew it was a problem. "Thank you."

"Come. I would thank our Hobbit, but I have a feeling he isn't our Hobbit right now," Thorin said dryly. The Dwarves stood up and made their way to their gear, putting it back on and then going out the door. Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and put it back in its holster and walked out the door was well, taking one last look around Bilbo's home.

I hope you do come with us, Bilbo Baggins.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ruby: Really Galen? Another Dust accident where I get sent to another world?

Galen: Well I mean... convenient plot device?

R: Ugh, whatever. At least it's not that Stark Contrast alternate Remnant.

G: Very true. You're in Middle-Earth/New Zealand, what more do you want?

R: Yep! Maybe you should explain a bit more of what you want to accomplish with this story for the readers. Hi guys and girls and robots! *Waving at the screen*

G: Okay, I can do that. *Turns to readers* Hello everybody, this is OrangeGalen with a brand new story! I actually had this idea late last March (timestamp: 2015), but never did anything with it until recently. Basically I restarted this when Volume 3 of RWBY came out and now have the first chapter done! Also, the cover was my first project with the drawing program I got at christmas, so I had to write this.
This is a long term project so updates will be sporadic and infrequent, though not like On The Road, Far From Home once every year infrequent.

I want to have fun with this, and while I am a huge Tolkien nerd/intellectual, I'm not going to go as deep into the backgrounds, languages, and mythos as some may want (myself included) if I ever actually want to complete this story.

Basically, I want to have a mesh of the Peter Jackson movies (unextended) and the book that works, since the Hobbit movies were no LoTR. There's a couple questions you may have that I'll have Ruby head off right now so you don't clog up the reviews. She knows what's going to happen. Take it away Red.

R: Please don't call me that. Anyway! So, first off, yes I know I'm a little OP for Middle-Earth-

G: Try a lot. And sorry by the way.

R: Hey, I'm talking! Anyway, so since I'm OP there will be instances that will be a little too easy for our company since I'm there, but Galen will try to... suppress that a bit as much as possible. I'm not going to be able to shoot every orc or troll I see all willy-nilly since I only have a limited ammo supply.

Next, since Dust is basically magic, and Middle Earth has magic, Dust works there. I know that the further away from Remnant you get, Dust weakens accordingly, but outer space doesn't have magic. Middle Earth does. And because Galen decided Dust still works. And I'm glad otherwise my rounds would be dead weight.

As for pairings, ugh *shudders*, there won't be any, thankfully. Well, except for Kili and Tauriel like in the movie version. So don't ask Galen to put any in since he will resist it.

G: Besides, you still need to get back to Weiss-waifu.

R: *Deploys Crescent Rose* What was that?

G: Nothing! Nothing at all!

R: Humph. Lastly, this will be the fan fiction crossover trope where a character is thrown into another world and goes along with the plot, possibly changing it a bit story. Sorry if you were expecting otherwise, but since there wasn't another one like it for this crossover pair, we call dibs.

G: That reminds me: this story was inspired by moviedragon009's The Hobbit and The Snow Queen, a HobbitxFrozen crossover fic. Really awesome, moviedragon did a good job with it, and you should read it after this... which I should end since it's getting a bit long.

R: Yeah! I still need to get around to killing Kevin the Dragon Grimm. Wouldn't be the first dragon I've fought. Oh, and this is pre-Volume 3 finale, so spoiler free. 3 day Spoiler Ban until Monday, remember?

G: I'm so not ready for the finale. I'll actually have a reaction video (F*ck you Fine Bros.) up within a few days or so, on my just started (as in like a few hours ago) still empty youtube channel under the same name. My first video!... If I can figure out youtube...

Anyway, we've rambled on long enough. Make sure to Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow this story, and I wouldn't object if you Favorited/Followed me as well.

So until next time

-OrangeGalen

...

R: And Ruby Rose! I'll be here next time as well!

Chapter length: 12,877.